Mechanism for deleaving carbon strips



March 21, 1961 B. L. HINMAN 75, 89

MECHANISM FOR DELEAVING CARBON STRIPS Filed July 10, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 21, 1961 B. 1.. HlNMAN MECHANISM FOR DELEAVING CARBON STRIPS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 MWzL Filed July 10, 1957 March 21, 1961 B. L. HINMAN 2,975,989

MECHANISM FOR DELEAVING CARBON STRIPS Filed July 10, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 iinired 2,975,989 Patented Mar. 21, 1961 inc MECHANISM FOR DELEAVING CARBON STRIPS Burton L. Hinman, Downers Grove, 11]., assignor to Uarco, Incorporated, a corporation of Dlinois Filed July 10, 1957, Ser. No. 670,951 6 Claims. (cl. 24256.5)

This invention relates to a mechanism for deleaving carbon strips from a stationery assembly, and more particularly, to a mechanism adapted for removing a large number of carbon strips from .such an assembly while retaining the remaining superposed stationery strips interconnected with each other.

Deleaving mechanisms have been commonly employed to remove one time carbon strips from stationery strip assemblies. Heretofore, such mechanisms have not been capable of retaining the stationery strips connected together in their margins while deleaving the carbon strips. In addition, since the carbons were removed in superposed relation, the number of carbon strips which the mechanisms could accommodate was limited because the carbon tended to shift laterally during movement, making control of the strips difiicult, so that tension in the strips about the turning bars was lost. By using the present invention, all of the superposed stationery strips can be retained in their interconnected form, and stationery assemblies having greatly varying numbers of plies can be conveniently accommodated thus obviating the deficiencies of former mechanisms.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved carbon deleaving mechanism.

Another object is to provide such a mechanism having a plurality of cantilever supported turning bars each adapted to extend into the open side of a stationery assembly between adjacent stationery strips for directing carbon strips laterally out of the assembly.

A further object is to provide such cantilever supported turning bars which are spaced and positioned so that the outwardly directed carbon strips overlap one another.

Still another object is to provide a deleaver mechanism which will turn the carbon strips laterally out of the assembly and will spread the individual strips longitudinally so that each carbon strip Will be frictionally gripped by the carbon tensioning rolls.

Another object is to provide a deleaver mechanism which will effectively control a plurality of deleaved carbon strips by maintaining proper tension about the turning bars at all times.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the deleaving mechanism;

Fig. 2, a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a sectional view taken as indicated on line 3,-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, an enlarged sectional view taken as indicated on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5, an enlarged fragmentary perspective view, with a top stationery strip broken away to illustrate the positioning of the carbon strip about a turning bar.

The embodiment illustrated is particularly well adapted for use with a stationery assembly, generally designated 10, which is formed from a number of superposedcontinuous stationery strips 11 and carbon strips 12 interposed between adjacent pairs of stationery strips. The carbon strips 12 are preferably adhered to the stationery strips in the assembly along a marginal edge portion 13 which is later removed to free the carbon strips for the deleaving operation. The stationery strips 11 are held together in a conventional manner along a marginal edge portion 14 and are retained together after deleaving in a collecting station shown at the right of the mechanism in Fig. 1.

The structure of the present invention includes an upright metal frame, generally designated 15, which is preferably rectangularly shaped and provided with a number of floor-engaging feet 16. A loading shelf or platform 17 is secured to the front of the frame 15, and a receiving platform or stationery collecting station 18 is secured to the rearward portion of the frame, as seen in Fig. 1.

As best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the stationery assembly 11) is initially positioned on the loading platform 17, and its free end is pulled over a supporting member, generally designated 21 on the forward part of the frame 15. The carbon strips 12 are then pulled laterally outwardly of the assembly 10, and the stationery strips are passed through a tensioning member, generally designated 21, journaled in the rear portion of the frame 15 so that an intermediate free span of marginally joined stationery strips 11 extend across the frame 15.

As herein shown, the supporting member 21 prefcr ably includes a pin-type feeding unit 22 journaled in the frame 15 on a drive shaft 23. The shaft 23 is driven by a conventional train of gears in a gear housing 2 6 from a source of power, not shown. feed unit 2-2, a stationery trimming blade 24 may be mounted on a shaft 25 which is also driven from the gear housing 26. The shaft 25 is rotated considerably faster than the drive shaft 23 to assure a proper cutting action. The blade 2 1 is preferably adjustable upon the shaft 25' so that the edge portion 13 being severed is wide enough to free the carbon strips 12 from with the superposed stationery strips 11. 7

As best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the tensioning member 2 1 is driven in timed relation to the feeding unit 22' from the gear housing 26 and 26a through a carbon roll shaft 27 and bevel gears 23 so that the span of stationery strips being advanced between the feeding unit 2-2 and the tensioning member 21 may be maintained under slight tension. p

The tensioning member 211 preferably includes a knurled roller 30 and a weighted idler wheel 31 journaled in an arm 32 which is swingably mounted'upon a cross bar 3 3 on the frame 15. The roller 30 is secured to a roller shaft 34 which is journaled in the frame 15 and driven by the bevel gears 28 and drive train discussed above. The idler wheel 31, bearing downwardly on the roller 30'because of its own weight, cooperates with the knurled roller 311 to frictionally grip and advance the stationery strips 11 across a sheet metal deflecting member 36 toward the receiving shelf 18 where the stationery strips 11 are stacked with their edge portion 14 still joined together. A pair of guide discs 35 may be adjustably mounted upon the roller 30 to maintain proper alinement of the stationery strips 11 being advanced. V p

Turning now to the means for directing the carbon strips 12 laterally out of the stationery assembly 16, and referring'to Fig. 2, a number ofrigid turning bars 37 are preferably secured to the upper portion of the frame 15 so as to extend'cantileverwise at appr'niinately a 45 angle into the path of the stationery assembly affording support to the intermediate span of stationery strips 11. When a stationery assembly 111 is positioned in the mechanism, a turningbar 37 is positioned beadherence Adjacent the pin tween each of the adjacent pairs of stationery strips 11 and transversely across the carbon strips 12 so that each of the carbon strips 12 may be passed about its respective turning bar 37 and directed laterally out of the stationery assembly 10, as best shown in Fig. 5. As can be seen from Figs. 1 and 2, the turning bars 37 are preferably individually spaced longitudinally of the frame 15 so that the laterally directed carbon strips 12 are spread longitudinally of the frame 15 so as to marginally overlap one another and provide a central longitudinal portion 12a free of any overlapping. While seven turning bars 37 are employed in the present structure, it is clear that more or less of the bars may be utilized without departing from the inventive concept.

Means are provided for pulling the carbon strips 12 from the assembly and for collecting them for expeditious periodic disposel. To this end, a carbon strip tensioning mechanism, generally designated 33, and a carbon collecting device, generally designated 40, are constructed longitudinally of one side of the frame 15, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 4.

The tensioning mechanism 38 preferably includes a carbon gripping or pull-out roll 41 mounted on the carbon roll shaft 27 and driven by the shaft 27 through an adjustable, spring-type, friction clutch 39 of a conventional type. The shaft 27, which is driven from the gear housing 26a, is preferably rotated so that the surface speed of the gripping roll 41 would be slightly greater than the speed of advance of the stationery strips 11, if free of the carbon strips. This assures that the carbon strips 12 are maintained in tensioned condition while passing around the turning bars 37.

In advancing the carbon strips 11, portions of the grip ping or pull-out roll 41 cooperate with a number of rotatable carbon strip idler rollers or wheels 42 which are each journaled in an arm 43 swingably mounted on a longitudinal bar 44 secured to the frame 15. Each of the rollers 42 cooperates with the roll 41 preferably to separately grip an individual, carbon strip 12 so that all of the carbon strips are frictionally pulled from the stationery assembly at the same time, in the manner best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Referring to the carbon strip 12 at the right in Fig. 2, it is seen thateach carbon strip 12 overlaps the adjacent strip on its immediate left by a distance of an inch or two, and a single thickness of carbon is gripped in its central portion 12a between cooperating portions of the rollers 42 and carbon pullout roll 41.

From the tensioning mechanism38 the carbon strips 12 are wound upon the carbon collecting device 40. The device 40 preferably comprises a collecting roll 45 of resilient sheet metal material which has stud journals 46 at each end mounted in brackets 47 secured to the frame .15. The collecting roll is also driven through an adjustable, spring-type; friction clutch (not shown) by bevel gears 48, seen in Fig. 3, which in turn are operatively connected to drive gears, not shown, in the gear housing 26a.

At least one of the brackets 47, shown in Fig. 4, has an upwardly opening slot 50 to permit the collecting roll 45 to be detached from the brackets so that the carbon strips wound thereon can be periodically removed. To further facilitate carbon strip removal, the collecting roll 45 is preferably formed in the shape of a split-sleeve'having a conventional internal linkagev structure for expanding or contracting the split-sleeve, as desired. When collecting the carbon strips 12, the collecting roll 45 is expanded. When removing the carbon strips, it'is'contracted so that the wound carbon will merely slip'otl the end of the carbon roll 45 into a convenient waste receptacle.

If desired in the present invention, a conventional deleaving mechanism may be incorporated, as best shown in- Fig. 1. This conventional deleaver separates the stationery strips 11 into separate piles, The top.;.stationery strip is passed across the frame 15 in the manner described for the stationery assembly 10. The top carbon is directed about an individual carbon collecting roll 51 which is journaled in the frame 15 and driven conventionally through bevel gears 52 and the vertical shaft 53. In this same manner successive underlying carbon strips are wound upon rolls 54, 55 and 56. The stationery strips underlying the top stationery strip are permitted to fall individually under their own weight into their respective trays 57, 58 and 59 which are specially shaped to automatically refold the individual stationery strips, as can be seen in Fig. 1. The top tray lying above tray 57 has not been shown in Fig. 1.

By employing the structure of the present invention, the stationery strips can be retained together in their marginally interconnected form, and the deleaving operation can be rapidly and conveniently effected. The mechanism performs equally well whether deleaving an assembly of a few strips or one containing eight or ten strips, and proper tension and control is maintained in the carbon strips 12 about the turning bars 37.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

' 1. Mechanism for deleaving carbon strips from a stationery assembly of superposed continuous form stationery strips joined together at one longitudinal marginal edge portion, comprising: a frame across which the stationery assembly can be drawn, said frame being provided with a supporting member positioned transversely of its forward end; stationery strip tensioning rolls journaled in the frame and spaced rearwardly of said supporting memher so that a span of the stationery strips may be extended between said supporting member and tensioning rolls, said tensioning rolls being engageable with the stationery strips to pull said strips across the frame toward a collecting station; a plurality of turning bars secured to the frame intermediate said supporting member and tensioning rolls, each bar extending cantileverwise into the stationery assembly between adjacent stationery strips so that a carbon strip can be passed therearound and laterally out of the stationery assembly, said turning bars being spaced longitudinally of the frame so as to turn the carbon strips out of the assembly in longitudinally spread relation during a deleaving operation; rotatable carbon advancing means on the frame extending longitudinally thereof for engaging the longitudinally spread, laterally projecting carbon strips and pulling said carbon strips from the stationery assembly; and drive means for imparting rotation to said tensioning rolls and carbon advancing means to remove the carbon strips from the sta tionery assembly and advance the marginally interconnected stationery strips across the frame toward said collecting station.

2. Mechanism as specified in claim 1, in which the rotatable carbon advancing means include a plurality of pairs of cooperating rotatable roller portions spaced longitudinally of the frame for frictionally gripping and tensioning the longitudinally spread carbon strips as said carbon strips are advanced around the turning bars.

3. Mechanism as specified in claim 1, in which the turning bars are spaced longitudinally of the frame to space the laterally turned carbon strips so that each carbon strip overlaps adjacent carbon strips only in their longitudinal marginal edge portions leaving the central longitudinal carbon strip portions free of any overlapping, and the rotatable carbon advancing means include a plurality of pairs of cooperating rotatable roller portions spaced longitudinally of the frame, each pair frictionally gripping a central longitudinal carbon strip portion, said pairs of carbon roller portions cooperating to collectively tension the longitudinally spread carbon strips as said carbon strips are advanced around the turning bars.

4. Mechanism as specified in claim 1, in which the rotatable carbon advancing means include an elongated driven roll journaled in the frame and extending longitudinally thereof, and a plurality of arms swingably mounted on the frame, said arms being spaced longitudinally of the frame and each having a free end rotatably supporting a weighted idler roller bearing downwardly against said driven roll, said idler rollers being spaced to press individual carbon strips against the driven roll so as to maintain tension in all said carbon strips passing around the turning bars.

5. Mechanism as specified in claim 1, in which a carbon collecting roll is journaled in the frame adjacent the carbon advancing means so that the deleaved carbon strips can be rolled thereupon, said carbon collecting roll being operatively connected to the drive means for rotation with the stationery strip tensioning rolls and carbon advancing means.

6. Mechanism for deleaving carbon strips from a stationery assembly of superposed continuous form stationery strips joined together at one longitudinal marginal edge portion, comprising: a frame over which the stationery assembly can be drawn; a pin-wheel type feeding device journaled in the forward portion of the frame for engaging and advancing the stationery assembly; rotatable tensioning rolls mounted in the rearward portion of the frame for gripping and tensioning the span of the stationery strips extending from the pin-wheel type feeding device; a trimming blade rotatably mounted adjacent said pin-wheel feeding device, said trimming blade being adjustable laterally of the frame for severing the marginal edge portion opposite said one marginal edge portion and freeing the stationery strips from the interposed carbon strips; turning bars secured to the frame and spaced longitudinally thereof for laterally turning the carbon strips out of the assembly into longitudinally spread relation, each of said turning bars being positioned to extend cantileverwise into said span of the stationery assembly between adjacent stationery strips to support the span of stationery assembly and to enable a carbon strip to be passed therearound and laterally out of the stationery assembly; rotatable carbon rolls on the frame and extending longitudinally thereof for engaging the longitudinally spread, laterally projecting carbon strips and pulling said carbon strips from the stationery assembly; a carbon collecting roll journaled in the frame adjacent and parallel to said carbon rolls for winding up the carbon strips pulled from the stationery assembly; and drive means for rotating the tensioning rolls, the carbon rolls and carbon collecting roll to remove the carbon strips from the stationery assembly and advance the marginally interconnected stationery strips across the frame toward a collecting station.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 560,945 Southgate May 26, 1896 846,716 Ashelm Mar. 12, 1907 882,366 Ashelm Mar. 17, 1908 2,135,364 Templeton Nov. 1, 1938 2,360,965 Mosher Oct. 24, 1944 2,477,128 Hope July 26, 1949 2,591,394 Barth Apr. 1, 1952 2,779,411 Richards Jan. 29, 1957 2,790,638 Wockenfuss t Apr. 30, 1957 

